Birstall Neighbourhood Forum

01/11/2026

🏡 BIRSTALL NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM – THANK YOU!

Our public consultation has now officially closed, and I want to say a massive thank you to absolutely everyone who has taken the time to get involved and have their say!

We’ve received hundreds of responses from local residents, and I’m incredibly grateful for the time, effort and thought people have put into sharing their views on the future of Birstall.

The Forum’s Management Committee will begin reviewing the consultation responses and drawing up our proposed neighbourhood boundary as we make the final preparations to seek official designation as a Neighbourhood Forum.

📅 OUR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 1ST DECEMBER @ 7pm - 1931 Bar

This will be a crucial meeting for the Forum as we take the next steps towards designation and discuss the future of our organisation.

The meeting is open to absolutely everyone, and I would encourage as many local residents as possible to come along and get involved.

We have said from the very beginning that we want Birstall to remain a village with its own identity, character and community spirit. We don’t want to see it lose what makes it special and simply become another extension of the surrounding urban areas of Batley and Dewsbury.

We should be looking at how we protect our green spaces, support our local businesses, improve our village centre and ensure that future development reflects what local people actually want.

That’s exactly why we established the Birstall Neighbourhood Forum: to give local people a greater say in shaping the future of the place they call home.

We’ve made tremendous progress already, but there’s still plenty of work ahead of us.

Whether you’ve lived in Birstall all your life or have only recently moved here, your voice matters.

If you care about Birstall and want to see our village thrive for generations to come, please come along on 1st December and be part of its future.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has supported us so far.

💚

26/10/2026

It is the last week of the Listening to Birstall survey and we are after one final push to get the most responses possible. We have 390 followers in this group and if we could get a response from everyone, combined with our leaflets and postcards, we would have an excellent base for our boundary plan and the local priorities going forward.

Remember, you can just select a number on each question, you don't need to add comments.

Please share and encourage where you can.

Can we ask you about Birstall? You might meet us whilst you’re out and about in Fieldhead, Birstall, Cambridge Road and Nova between 16th September and 4th October 2019.

14/10/2026

👋🏽 Meet your Forum Committee
Ben Loveday - Committee Officer

I have lived in Birstall all my life and feel incredibly fortunate to call it home. One of my favourite things about Birstall is the access we have to beautiful green spaces such as Oakwell Hall and Wilton Park. These spaces allow us to connect with nature, local history and other people, and I never take for granted how special it is to have places like these on our doorstep.

Throughout my life, I have benefited from the village's strong community, schools and sports clubs. Joining the Neighbourhood Forum gives me the opportunity to contribute in my own way and play a small part in helping Birstall remain a thriving and enjoyable place for everyone who lives here. I believe the Neighbourhood Forum is a fantastic way of bringing people together to help ensure Birstall is the best it can be, both now and for future generations.

13/10/2026

🚨 IMPORTANT NOTICE 🚨

📅 Annual General Meeting

Save the date for Tuesday 1 December at 7pm at the 1931 Bar, as we take some important next steps towards designation.

This meeting is crucial for Birstall as our consultation comes to an end on the 31st October, we will finally be able to present to you our proposed boundary and submit our application to Kirklees council.

You can still feed in to our consultation using the link below:

https://online1.snapsurveys.com/Interview/5231cd90-a69c-492a-8473-a6fb15bb3fc1?fbclid=IwVERDUAU666tleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAWZkaWQWUQOqCRmSzI4qHdqFUXd4mkgWTMQG1nNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7nkwDH6QKUox7FzU6FTs7Ff_gqF05lWftVf7ZYF0oR-lQethR6JxW8aMNA7A_aem_gNYvRLTTTpgdc4NqlFg07A

11/10/2026

👋🏽 Meet Your Forum Committee
Richard Hodgson - Committee Officer

My wife and I have lived in Birstall for over 11 years, having moved here from Dewsbury. Shortly after moving, I became actively involved with a group of local residents, our neighbours and local ward councillors to ensure that the views of Birstall residents were properly represented in Kirklees Council’s Local Development Plan. Together, we successfully helped ensure that local people’s concerns and priorities were heard and taken into account.

As the Local Development Plan is now being reviewed, I am keen to build on that previous success and ensure that the views and interests of Birstall residents are not overlooked. This is why I was keen to become actively involved when the Birstall Neighbourhood Forum was formed.

Birstall has a long history and a rich heritage, shaped over many centuries. This heritage has helped make Birstall the place it is today and is something we should value and protect. I believe future development should respect our history, preserve the character of the area and meet the needs of both current and future generations, rather than being driven primarily by short-term financial gain.

The Birstall Neighbourhood Forum has an important role to play in ensuring that future development reflects the priorities, needs and aspirations of local residents, while protecting the things that make Birstall such a special place to live.

My connection to Birstall goes back much further than my own time living here. My parents were married at St Saviour’s Church, as my mother lived on Ealand Road. As a child, I regularly visited my aunt and her family on Laurel Drive, and we often spent time at Wilton Park.

Today, I enjoy visiting Oakwell Country Park with my grandchildren. We also support Birstall’s local shops, businesses and cafés, as well as St Peter’s School, which my grandchildren attend.

These personal connections, together with my experience of local planning, have strengthened my commitment to helping Birstall retain its character, protect its heritage and develop in a way that benefits the whole community.

11/10/2026

👋🏽 Meet Your Forum Committee
Rebecca Hague - Forum Secretary

Having lived in Birstall all my life, I have a strong personal connection to the village and its community.

Over the years, our family has been involved in a number of local activities, with my children taking part in football at Howden Clough Football Club, Beavers and Scouts, and Birstall Cricket Club. Both of my children attended a Birstall primary school, and my husband continues to coach at Howden Clough Football Club. These connections have given us a real appreciation of the community spirit that makes Birstall such a special place to live.

I also value the local shops, pubs, restaurants and businesses that help give Birstall its character and provide places for people to meet, socialise and feel part of the community.

I work as a School Business Manager and, prior to moving into education, spent around ten years working in the legal sector. My professional background has given me valuable organisational and communication skills that I bring to my role as Secretary.

I hope to help Birstall Neighbourhood Forum bring residents together, encourage community involvement and ensure that local people have the opportunity to share their views and contribute to shaping a positive future for Birstall.

11/10/2026

👋🏽 Meet Your Forum Committee-
Lyndsey Hepworth - Forum Deputy Chair

I’ve lived in Birstall all my life, and like many families here, several generations came before me. I work at Leeds Beckett University.

I joined the Forum because I believe that — both locally and nationally — we’ve lost something important over the last decade or two. Any improvement we can make, is a step in the right direction. If we don’t try to improve, we can’t complain when nothing changes.

I never expected to be on the committee, but over the past year I’ve learnt so much and look forward to where the forum can go.

11/10/2026

👋🏽 Meet Your Forum Committee –
Joshua Sheard, Chairman & Founder

I’ve lived in Birstall all my life, all 25 years of it, and currently live in Howden Clough. I’m incredibly proud to call Birstall my home, and I genuinely believe it’s a fantastic place to live and work.

What I love most about Birstall is its strong sense of community, its history and, above all, the people who make our village what it is. We have some brilliant local businesses, wonderful green spaces and communities, but also so much untapped potential and plenty of opportunities ahead of us.

I founded the Birstall Neighbourhood Forum because I wanted to bring people together and give residents a genuine voice in shaping the future of our village. Having grown up here, I’ve seen Birstall change over the years, and I believe it’s important that we protect what makes our village special whilst also embracing opportunities to improve it.

For me, the Forum is about much more than just planning. It’s about building a stronger community, supporting our village centre, protecting our local facilities and making sure Birstall continues to be somewhere people are proud to call home.

I’m passionate about Birstall and genuinely excited about what we can achieve together. I believe our village has a very bright future, and I want our community to be at the heart of shaping it.

07/10/2026

📢 BIRSTALL NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM – OCTOBER NEWSLETTER! 🏡

Our October newsletter is now live! 🍂

There’s plenty happening as we continue working towards formal designation and the development of Birstall’s very own Neighbourhood Plan.

In this month’s edition:

🗣️ Listening to Birstall – our consultation has been extended until 31 October, giving even more residents the chance to have their say.

📅 Annual General Meeting – save the date for Tuesday 1 December at 7pm at the 1931 Bar, as we take some important next steps towards designation.

📸 Capture Birstall! – we’re launching our October photography competition and want to see your best photos capturing our village.

🌐 Our new website is live – making it easier to follow the Forum’s work and get involved.

📋 Plus updates on the Forum’s governance and what’s happening around Birstall this month.

The Forum is growing, and the more residents who get involved, the stronger Birstall’s voice becomes.

👇 Read the October newsletter here:

https://mailchi.mp/323a972292ae/birstall-neighbourhood-forum-newsletter-september-13849426

Please give it a share and help us reach more people across Birstall! 💚

It has been another busy period for the Forum, and I am pleased with the progress we continue to make, we are very close to being ready to submit our final application for designation to Kirklees Council. Since we launched our membership and subscription service in September, we have had more then 4...

02/10/2026

📢 We need some help! The consultation is closing 31st October.

We have reviewed the responses received so far to the Listening to Birstall questionnaire and have identified areas where further engagement is required. This will be used to confirm the boundary for “What is Birstall” and allow us to move forward with designation.

The following areas were identified:

· Smithies – Smithies Moor Lane from number 26 upwards, Smithies Moor Rise, Smithies Moor Crescent, Magnolias and up to the Counting House
· Oxford Road, Gomersal from the house opposite West Lane down that side of the road to hilltop including Scott Lane
· Floreat Close (cul-de-sac next to Jem's Speed Shop)
· White Lee – only the houses on the opposite side of the road to the Sharma

If any members live in these areas and would be willing to distribute postcards, please let us know by email or Facebook and we can co-ordinate the help.

Join the Birstall Neighbourhood Forum and subscribe to our updates today 👇🏽
https://facebook.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d5754be1d4b356b44429685b6&id=64dd0e5326

Email: [email protected]

If you haven’t completed the questionnaire yet, please do so here: https://online1.snapsurveys.com/Interview/5231cd90-a69c-492a-8473-a6fb15bb3fc1